Music Feature

Maserati: Pyramid of the Sun

Maserati are a fascinating hybrid. They play instrumental hard rock
in the vein of bands like Explosions in the Sky and Trans Am, but with
frequent stops on the dance floor courtesy of Giorgio Moroder-style
synthesizers and motorik drum beats. There are elements of Krautrock
hidden away in the multiple layers working here, but frequently they
sound like nothing less than a deep cut from the American Gigolo soundtrack.

This is a good thing. Hard rock bands frequently improve their hit
ratio with the liberal addition of hip-swaying beats. In fact, a good
argument can be made that the primary distinction between “Hard Rock”
and “Heavy Metal” are those very beats. Call it the difference between
Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin (or say, Metallica and Guns n' Roses).
'Cuz what the boys in the pit don’t get the girls understand. Maserati
understands this, too. There is a swagger to these songs that fits
hand-in-glove with their relentless forward momentum, and incrementally
building arrangements. And the constant shifting and reshuffling
frequently fills the role that is typically filled by vocal melodies.

Pyramid of the Sun is the band’s third full-length release
and their first since drummer Jerry Fuchs died in a tragic accident last
year (he fell down an open elevator shaft during a party in Brooklyn,
NY). The band has referred to the record as a tribute to Fuchs (most of
the drumming is his), and I doubt it’s a coincidence that “Bye M’Friend,
Goodbye” is the best thing on here. Closing the album with a blast of
pure bliss, it builds on pulsing synths and what sound sounds like
chanting monks to an explosion of melodic, intertwining riffage and
crashing drums. It fades out at 6:37, but it could have gone for twice
as long and I doubt I’d have been bored for a second. It remains to be
seen how the new drummer, Steve Moore, will sustain the high note that
Fuchs has left his band on, but this is a great salute.